President Ilham Aliyev has done everything possible to eliminate media pluralism since 2014 and all leading independent news websites are blocked. When they are not jailed, critical journalists and bloggers are harassed, pressured or offered bribes. Even those who have fled the country continue to be persecuted. The coronavirus pandemic has amplified the harassment of those who try to describe the real situation. Journalists are pressured to use only the official information provided by a special Covid-19 unit, and are liable to be arrested and charged with “lockdown violations.” Under amendments to the law on information adopted in March 2020, online media owners can be prosecuted for “inaccurate” or “dangerous” content. And the prosecutor-general’s office has warned social media users that the authorities will investigate all reports of “fake news” and will “punish offenders.”